A-2023-00192 — Indigenous Services Canada

The complainant alleged that Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) failed to conduct a reasonable search for records related to housing space accommodation guides, space criteria, and occupancy rates for Indigenous communities from 1960 to 1990. Initially, ISC stated no responsive records existed and suggested the complainant contact their archives. The Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC) questioned this approach, leading ISC to conduct further searches. These subsequent searches, after initial nil results, eventually identified approximately 24,000 pages of potentially relevant records. With the complainant's agreement, the scope of the request was narrowed, resulting in 800 pages of responsive records. The OIC concluded that ISC did not conduct a reasonable search at the time it first processed the request. The Commissioner ordered ISC to complete the retrieval and processing of all responsive records, provide an interim release within 36 business days, and a final response within 60 business days.